Enyart urges continued action on veterans’ issues

U.S. Rep. Bill Enyart (D-Illinois) Wednesday urged continued action on veterans’ issues during the congressional recess in October.

“The one thing I want to make sure we maintain our focus on is veterans’ issues,” Enyart said. “We simply cannot allow our veterans to fall through the cracks. Now is the time for action on VA care facilities, for action on expanded health care options, and for action on health care infrastructure.”

Enyart voted for the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act, passed in the House in August. The bill includes $10 billion in emergency funding for expanded health care options for veterans, $5 billion in emergency funding to bolster care within the VA, and $2 billion in non-emergency funding for other services for veterans and their families.

“We’ve made significant improvements to the way we fund and deliver health care to our veterans in the last few months, but it’s not enough,” Enyart said. “Now is the time that we hold the VA’s feet to the fire, and make sure that care is delivered in a reliable and timely manner for all our veterans.”

Since May, Enyart has made impromptu visits to the Marion VA Hospital, the Marion VA outpatient facility, the Mount Vernon VA outpatient facility, and the Belleville VA outpatient facility. He plans to continue making unscheduled stops throughout the region. Additionally, he has been working with the Marion VA Facility to ensure timely access to health care for veterans in Southern Illinois. The 12th Congressional District of Illinois has the highest number of veterans of any district in the state, including the Chicago area.